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Summer is ALMOST here!

May 24, 2013

In Maine when Memorial Day comes around we all kind of feel like summer is here.  Even though the actual first day of Summer is nearly a month away, the kids are still in school Memorial Day Weekend is a “demark” point for many of us. We all open our camps and start planning for the season ahead.

Summer Holidays

Memorial Day is always the third Monday in May, of course the actual DATE in May changes.  The 4th of July is, well the 4th of July, sometimes it is a Monday, Tuesday and this year it is a Thursday.  Labor Day is always the FIRST Monday in September.  Memorial Day and Labor Day dates always fluctuate.  This year both are “early”, or at least feel that way.  At Sephone, as well as many businesses in Maine summer is a time when folks take vacations.  Maine is called VACATIONLAND and many of us that live here feel inundated with relatives and friends coming to spend a long weekend or a week.  We all just HOPE that the weather is going to cooperate.

But what happens when it doesn’t?

Maybe you are in your old hometown or maybe it is your “significant others?”  Perhaps it is in a place you haven’t been before? You had all kinds of plans, whale watch, a hike or a bike ride in a national park but DRAT!  It RAINED!  (And if you are in Maine this weekend, it is going to rain right through until Monday!)

Eleventary! search window on smartphone

Eleventary! search window on smartphone.

There are only so many movies

Don’t fret about something to do when the weather decides to change your plans.  Sephone updated it’s event App.  We wrote about it last year.   And you can download it to your phone and find everything from sporting events, concerts to museum exhibits.  AND it is FREE to use.

Having your own event?

If you have an event you would like to put in and you would like to have about 100,000 (and counting) eyes on it, for FREE than eleventary is for you!  A benefit, garage sale, you want to let the locals and the tourists know about it – you can and all for FREE.

Eleventary is in the Google Play Store as well as the App Store for iPhone.  (Did I say for FREE?)

 

Download it today and Nationwide you can see what is fun to do wherever you are!

 

 

 

 

Kelly's been known as the Marketing Maven since before the term was hip. (That means she's old.) She loves to get people together and help when she can to bring resources to the table and solve problems!
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“Murphy” Always Strikes While the Iron is HOTTEST!

May 2, 2013

Murphy’s Law

You know it, it goes something like “If anything can go wrong, will go wrong at the worst possible moment.”  If you Google it, you will see lots of variations of the saying but the long and short of it is that usually when something bad happens it happens when you have the least amount of time to fix it and as we all know, there often is a string of bad things that happen in a row.

Insurance

You buy insurance for your home, auto or property hoping you don’t need it.  If you do, it is there for you to help you rebuild whatever broke or was destroyed in the first place, right?

Passwords

The last couple weeks we have been hammering away at Passwords and the importance of using good ones that are the hardest to crack by a hacker or some random robot that is trying to get at your information.  This could be personal information like, name, address, etc.  and worse your credit card or bank account.  Some people use very obvious passwords or don’t change the password that was given to them that was meant to be easy so they could go and change it themselves.

Guilty as Charged

There is a groan that comes out of me when my “favorite” or easiest to remember doesn’t fit some website’s rules.  I’ll admit it.  Once you come up with something that satisfied the geeks of the website developer, “How in the world are we to remember it?”

Social Media

In the Social Media class that is taught at the New England School of Communications, part of Husson University , one assignment is to document your Social Graph.  Simply put, a Social Graph is a graphic representation of all the places you go on line,  where you engage in social media (Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, various blogs you may comment on,  etc.) and have a user name and password that is linked to it. This also includes places you shop like Amazon and iTunes.  Your credit card information is stored there.  Keep that in mind.

“Roll Your Own”

Make your own Social Graph.  As I have said in many many posts, it doesn’t have to be fancy and it doesn’t have to be on line or in your computer.  I learned the hard way by storing everything in my “keychain” on my laptop and when it crashed – there went all my stuff. Files, folder and yes my user names and passwords for everything.  I now have an old fashioned “Bob Cratchett” style system (He is from the movie The Scrooge,) with my Social Media Sites listed by name of site along with type of site, audio, video, blogs, networking, shopping sites stored there.  I also have included the user name and passwords there too.

Living Social

You may say, “I don’t use many sites, I don’t need to store that stuff anywhere.”  Last week, Living Social got hacked.  If you didn’t know, it is a site that emails you “the deal of the day” that comes into your inbox with two or three money saving things there.  50 million people were effected, were you one of them?  Do you remember your user name and password from that site or ones like it?  Could it be the same user name and password that you use for all kinds of other sites? Do you even know how many?

Going Forward

Inevitably, your password will be compromised, hacked whatever you want to call it – eventually.  At the worst possible moment.  ”Murphy” is always right about this.

A few tips:

  • As you use a site and log in – record it in a notebook or on notecards and put it in a safe place where only you can access it.
  • When you go to another site, do the same.
  • Consider changing your passwords occasionally.

If you get hacked you can go to your notebook, etc.  and find what you need to change easily and if you use it in multiple places you know where to go to change it.

Kelly's been known as the Marketing Maven since before the term was hip. (That means she's old.) She loves to get people together and help when she can to bring resources to the table and solve problems!
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Back to Basics

April 25, 2013

“Flavor of the Month”

Often folks call us and they want to start using Social Media to promote their business.  All their other business friends use it, they have a Facebook account so it is time to “make some money” with something everybody is using.  Get your business some eyeball time.

A few months ago, I wrote a post about Social Media and having a goal.  Probably I should have written this post first before that one but I didn’t so here goes…

Open House

If you were trying to sell your house, your realtor may suggest and Open House.  You spruce up the place. Clean up the clutter, maybe slap some paint on the doorways or walls.  The tired old place looks pretty nice and it didn’t take much time or money. You are ready for people to come in and see AND BUY!

Your Website or Home Base

The same as an Open House, before you decide to use Social Media or even run a traditional ad, you should check out your website or any other places people may look for you online.  For now, let’s stick with your website.

Attention

Social Media just like traditional advertising calls attention to your business.  If it doesn’t,  you are wasting your money, right?  You want people to know about you.  If your radio ad is on and someone is driving down the road and hears it and they are interested they will call you or look you up on line. Traditional ad mediums are steps away from the potential client learning about you.  They have to stop what they are doing or get where they are going to act on seeking your business out.

When using Social Media you reach the potential client where they can very quickly and easily find out what you are about.  They are in front of their computer or on their smartphone and with a click or two they are on your website.

What Will They See?

Will they see what you want them to see?  Is it up to date?  Does it look like your business is professional?  Are you ready for the Open House or should you do some sprucing up to the old website? What does it look like on a mobile device?

Getting Your Money’s Worth

It is always an interesting conversation when someone explains to me how social media doesn’t work.  I listen intently and throw in  a “When was the last time you updated your website?” or maybe a “What platform are you using?”  Often, they think I am trying to throw my hat into the ring for an update to their website.  And though Sephone is capable and would love to do it, I ask because if someone is woo’ed into checking out your business because of a Facebook post or a Tweet and they see information and design from 2005, why would they call you?

Don’t Blame the Messenger

It isn’t Social Media and perhaps that radio or TV ad campaign didn’t work because of the same reason. You went to the trouble and expense of inviting potential buyers to your “Open House” and when they got there they found a shack.

So ask yourself…“Is my website or blog ready for social media?”

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly's been known as the Marketing Maven since before the term was hip. (That means she's old.) She loves to get people together and help when she can to bring resources to the table and solve problems!
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The Challenges of the Company Blog

April 5, 2013

Here Are Just Three:

  1. Who’s going to contribute?
  2. Why do we think we are experts?
  3. What the heck are we going to write about?

“Too busy” is a good one too, but we will leave that one off the list for another day.

Since I am on the road and do a lot of face time with business folks, often we get down to the nitty gritty and they confide in me the challenges that they face and with blogging being a relatively new platform for most of us, it is easy to ask those three questions along with a multitude of others.

Just This Week:

I had the opportunity to hear a presentation from a blogger (quite successful one) named Kristi.  She was natural, funny and full of great information.  It was inspiring really.  Others came away from her presentation feeling the same way. If you clicked the link you will see what she is about for yourself.  I felt fortunate for someone as experienced as she is to come and share with us. One of the things she covered very well and even blogged for us about it is about “Creating Content” and 12 Ideas for us to think about.

1. Who’s going to contribute?

David Jones - Strong Kennels Tivoli, TX

You Need a Bird Dog. Depending on the size and type of company you have or the expertise that your company has you may have several people that provide a healthy “voice” to your blog.  You may also have someone that is wonderful at writing or really enjoys doing it. Just like anything the blog itself has to be one person’s priority to “Bird Dog” those to contribute, be willing to write something themselves when there are time constraints to make sure things are published timely.

Remember this blog isn’t about YOU, it is about YOU engaging with your customers and potential customers. Understandably they have expectations or they will read something from someone else (perhaps your competition)  because it is on the “Top of Mind” and inconsistent blog posts means not being there.

2.  Why do we think we are experts?

We all know, when we are on the internet, we are opening ourselves to the world and there are many folks out there in “our business.”  Many bigger than us, many with more resources.  But do they do it OUR WAY?

Do you have a different “take” on challenges  because of where you are located, your customer base, your relationships?  Is your blog a way your company can address frequently asked questions and you can point your customers to that post so they can use it for a resource?

3.  What the heck are we going to write about?

As I mentioned previously, CreativeKristi  has a great list of ideas.  What we ask our clients is: Have you asked the person that answers your phone or your sales people what people ask most about?  You may find some information. Put it up on a white board in front of your face, discussing content as part of your staff meetings is also a good way to come up with ideas.

You may find it is a lot of fun!

*Thank you David Jones of Strong Kennels, Tivoli, TX for the use of your photo.

Kelly's been known as the Marketing Maven since before the term was hip. (That means she's old.) She loves to get people together and help when she can to bring resources to the table and solve problems!
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New Year’s Resolutions for Business?

January 7, 2013

As a business owner, it is hard to take time to learn something new.  it is hard to get away from “The Office”  to go to a far away place to often be disappointed in what the content was, how the speaker presented it or maybe the content was WAY OVER your head or completely different than the description and you were paying to be bored.  UGH.

With the New Year, you may be feeling the need to learn something new but just don’t have the inspiration to do it!  But start small and do something that you can stick to.

Here Are a Couple Ideas:

There’s something to be said about people finding a way to “share” and learn new things.  To Grow. Yes, there are conferences, there are still trade shows.  You can spend a lot of money and time traveling around the country looking for ways to learn things.

Learning: Social Media 

The Social Media buzz is everywhere.  It wasn’t long ago when those of us that had been on Twitter and mentioned, “Follow Me on Twitter” got greeted with blank stares or rolled eyes.  Now you cannot watch news programs or a multitude of other shows without a mention of Facebook or Twitter, to keep in touch and get your latest information.

Social Media Breakfast LogoIf you feel like you have missed the Social Media Bus and are behind the 8-ball, then chances are there is a group nearby that you can learn from.  In Maine, there are 3 groups of Social Media Breakfasts that require no membership, no mandatory attendance and are run by local volunteers that want to learn just like you do. And the networking provides other opportunities.

Social Media Breakfasts here in Maine are located in Bangor, (first Thursday of the month) Portland (last Friday of the month) and Central Maine ( third Tuesday of the month) – these are rules of thumb and the schedule may change. Check before you make the drive, I made that mistake once.  There are minimal costs to cover your breakfast and you should RSVP so they have a head count. There are different topics every month and there are different levels of experience all in the same room.  Everyone is there to help one another.  These are run by great volunteers that have bothered to help you promote your business out of the goodness of their hearts.  Thank you to all of them!  *

Learning:  Networking 

New ways to network and one of them that many use is LinkedIn.  Do you have a LinkedIn profile? We wrote something here and still stand by it.   If you don’t, you should and get yourself on one of the message boards or the groups.  Much of this is FREE but there is a monthly fee option and if you are paying it, I am sure you are using it and don’t need me to tell you anything!

Start Small

Think of one thing each month that you can PLAN on doing.  Put it on the calendar.  Commit to it.  If it is something like participating in a LinkedIn group or listening to a webinar, close your office door.  You are working.  You are working on you and being a better business owner.  If you can, plan a few months a head.  You will save time, money and make money all at once!  Hope to see you at one soon!!

*Social Media Breakfasts in Bangor are now held at Husson University.

*Thank you, Social Media Breakfast for the use of your logo.

 

Kelly's been known as the Marketing Maven since before the term was hip. (That means she's old.) She loves to get people together and help when she can to bring resources to the table and solve problems!
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Holidays are more than wrapped packages, aren’t they?

December 19, 2012

Holidays mean different things to different people.

Often circumstances dictate the mood for the occasion.  Tragedies or victories within your family or extended community can make a person stop, think and feel grateful for family, friends, business associates and others. And not so much for the iPod, iPad, Kindle or other “thing-a-ma-jig”  that is on your “List.” 

 

We want to “Thank You” for all you have given us these last 11+ years.

We are grateful for the relationships that have begun and grown over the years.  To our customers, our networks and all of us that make Sephone, we are grateful. Period.

We have some different Holiday Hours than our usual 8-5:

  • Monday, December 24, Christmas Eve and Tuesday Christmas Day we will be CLOSED.
    We will reopen December 26 at 8am and resume normal business hours through Friday December 28.
  • Monday, December 31, Sephone will open at 8am and close at 3pm.
  • Tuesday, January 1, Sephone will be CLOSED.
    We will reopen January 2  at 8am and resume normal business hours through Friday, January 4, 2013 (WOW! That feels weird!)

From our Geeks:  (Bless them!) “During this time our technical team will be on alert and able to respond to any critical events such as server disruption resulting in website downtime. Due to an emergency, if you require immediate service, please submit a support ticket at support.sephone.com. Any support requests that are not an emergency will be handled when our office resumes normal operating hours.”

And from all of us!  To You and Yours: However, whenever and wherever you celebrate, be safe, be merry and bright. And to a prosperous 2013!

~ Sephone

*Thank you to Dreamstime for the use of the beautiful image.

Kelly's been known as the Marketing Maven since before the term was hip. (That means she's old.) She loves to get people together and help when she can to bring resources to the table and solve problems!
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Free To Use, But Do You?

December 12, 2012

Facebook. Yelp. Twitter. YouTube. Pinterest…

The list goes on.  Social Media tools are all over the place and nearly all are free for any of us to use.

  1. But do you?
  2. Do you have time?
  3. Do you see the value?

If the answer to the first two questions is “No.”  And the third question is “Yes.”

Then consider a few options:

Post when you can and ask for help in executing a schedule.  Something your “Community” can count on.

Share Your Expectations and Goals:

How do you want it to work for your business?  If you are asking someone (a relative, friend or a company) to do it for you, then ground on what is acceptable, what isn’t and invite your colleagues to share in what they feel is of value.

Write this all down.

Your “social media” partner, whether you pay money for this work or don’t, needs to understand where your company stands and have the latitude and the information to engage when someone asks a question in a reasonable timeframe.

First off -Your company needs to make sure it is listed on the major directories and that the information is consistent and accurate.

For example: If one online directory shows your company located on one street and others show your company located somewhere else it obviously can be detrimental – especially if your customers punch the wrong address into their GPS or even better, if you never even “claimed” your business address on the GPS database!  Did you know you need to check that too?  

Decide Value and Assign Priority

Setting up accounts and profiles, checking listings take time.  Doing it piece meal is not the answer. Often when you set up company listings there is a followup email or a phone call often with a time limit to act.  Then, you need to write it down somewhere. I prefer the “write it down” method rather than having it only on line.  Lists of platforms, user names and passwords – if your company is paying for this work, your company needs to have this information.  Then if your company chooses to bring it in house or go another route you have access to the accounts you paid for to be set up and managed. If you have a family member doing it, don’t count on them to remember things, this information is YOURS.  YOUR COMPANY.  YOUR BRAND.  This is serious business.

Don’t Farm it Out.  Own it.

This is a battle cry of a certain segment of people.  We say, “Sure, that sounds reasonable.”  But we also say, “Do you fix your own car?  Do give your pets their shots?  Do you put in your own furnace?” In most cases the answer is probably “No.”  And why?  Because you are an expert in running your business, generating revenue, serving customers and you must do that.

All these other things are no different than the execution of a Online Marketing Strategy.

  1. It does take expertise.
  2. It takes time.
  3. It takes focus.

If you just want to post something on your Facebook page that’s  great, but there is more to social media and online marketing than Facebook (Don’t faint, it’s true!) and if you want more than a few “Likes” on Facebook, more results and consistent branding as a whole, you may consider a Social Media partner…like us. ( Sorry for the shameless plug but I cannot help myself.)

 

*thank you to the tomtom website for the photo.

 

 

 

 

Kelly's been known as the Marketing Maven since before the term was hip. (That means she's old.) She loves to get people together and help when she can to bring resources to the table and solve problems!
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Who Do You Love?

November 19, 2012

At least once a month someone comes to us with an idea.  Sometimes they feel like they are “ditsy” – a term used by on customer to me just last week. They come to us because they know we think out of the box, we love to hear new ideas. We love to hear YOUR ideas. Some of the ideas are a little “out there.”  But so thought many about Google when their idea of “search” came along in 1998.

We aren’t Google and we aren’t meaning to imply that you are either.  And there are a lot of great ideas that just melt away because there is lack of implementation and/or poor promotion. (We have our own list !)  But you are not “ditsy” for having those. (We prefer the term “Out of the Box” and spoken like the Maine girl I am, “That aint all bad!” )  Crystal Ball

 

You know your business better than any body. You know those “things” that if you could only do better and faster than you could deliver that “special sauce” customer service to your customer.  Is it something you could deliver on their Smartphone?

Relationships and Trust

Aligning yourself with someone -a fellow business person, or a developer like us,  that looks forward, and doesn’t look at a “one size fits all”  template could help you solve some challenges.  We all need to be more efficient and more accurate to be able to provide the customer with the best product or service the first time around.

Go through your address book, rolodex or whatever you use and take “that person” to lunch.  The “Face to Face” meeting creates a lot of energy and brainstorming opportunities.

 

**Thank you  for the image.

Kelly's been known as the Marketing Maven since before the term was hip. (That means she's old.) She loves to get people together and help when she can to bring resources to the table and solve problems!
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